A Day in My Caribbean Boat Life - Perspective from the Cat, Chipper

Posted by Chipper (the cat)

Sometimes I wake up around 4 in the morning, looking for trouble. I try to stretch and claw my way out of the ports so I can escape onto deck and star-gaze and look for fish. But usually mom or dad hear me rustling and stop me in my tracks. So, back to sleep I go until about 6:30 or 7 when Papa (Ed) wakes up. We go up on deck for an hour or so until Mama wakes up. We look at the ferries and pelicans who are fishing for breakfast. Yikes, today I saw one that was pretty huge - I don't see birds like that back home in the backyard in Newton!

When Mama wakes up, we do "good brush" - and then she fixes breakfast for me and Papa. After breakfast, I'll head back up on deck and rest on the shady side of the boat, looking at all the harbor activity and feeling the nice, fresh, cool breezes on my fur.

Then, it's time for my sleep during the heat of the day, unless Papa has projects (like today he changed the oil) - in which case, I like to hang around and help. But after that, I head into MY suite - the V-berth which is forward. Mom brought my favorite "nest" - it's a gift box from LL Bean filled with white tissue paper. I like to lay in that and scratch my face on the edges to get all the "itchies" off. Papa also had a wind scoop made for the boat, which he puts up on the port above me in the V-berth and it funnels tons of wind down below to where I sleep all day - and cools off the entire boat. (We don't have air conditioning - this is the next best thing. Plus, our friend Wayne helped Papa install a ton of fans on the boat before we left the states, so between the wind scoop and the fans, our boat stays pretty cool down below.)

Mom and Dad sometimes leave me alone during the afternoon, while they go to the beach, snorkeling, for a little hike or to go provisioning. By the time they get back, I'm starting to get hungry for dinner, and after dinner, my very favorite time on the boat is at night - when it gets dark and the stars come out. I love to prowl around on deck and my curiosity gets picqued when I hear the fishes jumping out of the water to eat. Mom and Dad get a little nervous - so Papa created a tether, kind of like what I wear at home in the backyard, so I can only go about 12 feet in any one direction. But that's OK - I still have fun - and it's nice and quiet and peaceful.

After my night time "walk-about", we do down for one more "good brush" and then, when Mama and Papa are in bed, they feed me a few treats from their bunks. Then it's time for sleep. I like sleeping on the freezer/refrig in their aft cabin, cause it's a cool spot and I get to be close to them and dream about all the good things like fishes in the water and birds in the sky.

That's about it.... until the next day!

Caribbean cooking

Posted by Liz

Last night we were treated to a delicious dinner prepared by Fay on New Morning. Believe it or not, here we are living on the ocean waters for the last full month, and it's been next to impossible for us to come across fresh fish. Fay and Russ had a freezer full of wahoo, and grilled some up with Fay's special marinade consisting of garlic, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, etc.

She also made a fantastic Sweet Potato/Leek Gratin casserole. To all of you on land, I know it seems like we talk a lot about food - but nothing tastes better on a boat than really fresh, local food prepared creatively and shared with new friends.

Here is Fay's recipe for the Au Gratin casserole - and link she shared with me to a really great website (for all of my paks back home who love to cook, this site will give you some great ideas plus some fun stories about island living).

Abigail Blake website

SWEET POTATO AND LEEK GRATIN - MAKE AHEAD !!
Fay Mark & Kathy Wellen

Serves 6

If you want to prepare the gratin a day ahead, reheat it covered in a 300 degree oven until bubbling around the edges and warmed through.

2 large leeks (1 lb total), trimmed, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/4 inch thick crosswise, washed and soaked in enough cold water to cover
2 tablespoons unsalted butter; more for the pan
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 oz pancetta or country ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 cups heavy cream (I substitute chicken stock)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp course salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound total), peeled
3 medium Idaho potatoes (1 1/4 pound total), peeled
1/2 cup grated gruyere or machego cheese


• Lift the leeks gently from their soaking water so that any grit stays behind. Drain them in a colander. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the pancetta or ham and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 9 min. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.
• Add the leeks and garlic to the pan, cover and reduce heat to low. Sweat the leeks and garlic, cooking slowly and stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, about 5 min (don’t let the leeks or garlic brown)
• Add the cream (or chicken stock), bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the pancetta or ham, the thyme, and the salt; add pepper to taste. Set aside
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-qt casserole dish. Slice the sweet potatoes between 1/4 and 1/8 inch thick. Repeat with the Idaho potatoes.
• Arrange one overlapping layer of Idaho slices on the bottom of the casserole. Season lightly with salt and pepper; and spoon 2 tablespoons of the leek sauce. Repeat with the Sweet Potato and continue to layer in this manner.
• Press down firmly on the potatoes with your hand or rubber spatula and drizzle the remaining leek sauce over them.
• Top with cheese
• Bake until the gratin is golden on top, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Christmas in the Caribbean

Posted by Ed

Christmas in the Caribbean is a very different feeling compared to being shore based in New England. No commercialism pushing the latest electronic gadget or some overpriced perfume for the lady in your life. No Christmas music for the two months before Christmas and for us New Englanders, no snow and cold weather to endure. Christmas was another beautiful Caribbean day, with warm breezes, plenty of sunshine to put a smile on your face and generally very happy sailors.

It’s interesting to see the small amount of holiday decor on a few of the local shops and some residences but nothing compared to the states.

For Liz and I, if we are unable to be with our direct families and network of friends, we then prefer to share our holiday spirit with other cruisers. A young Australian couple mentioned earlier who we met in Antigua were anchored next to us in Isle de Saintes. They are sailing their Vancouver 27 from the U.K. to their homeland of Australia and since they too are alone, we thought it would be fun to have them join us for Christmas dinner. I think the company and camaraderie for Christmas dinner was as special a Christmas gift as could be. As a Christmas offering, they were kind enough to bring a whole pineapple and then, on "Boxing Day" (day after Christmas) snorkeled under our boat to inspect our anchor and clean off our prop (great Christmas gift - thanks Greg!) - and since they are on a small boat with limited capacities, at the end of the evening, we sent them home to their boat with 20 liters of fresh water from our watermaker.

Christmas was different but one we’ll long remember!

Creative Cooking - recipes

Posted by Liz

One thing I've become better at here is being creative - with the provisions we have on board, with leftovers and with food you find in the little markets (Far less quantity, variety and quality than we find in the states).

In a previous post (Joyeux Noel), you'll find a really yummy recipe for Bruschetta.

On Christmas, I made a side dish with Zucchini, Tomatos, Garlic, Onions, and Cheese (Zucchini Gratin) and then used the leftovers, along with leftover rice and cooked shrimp and mixed that all into a Tomato/Red Pepper Bisque soup base (from Trader Joes back home!). Very hearty soup and quite tasty!!

ZUCCHINI GRATIN
- a few small to medium sized zucchini's (or, in our case, 1 1/2 mega sized ones) - sliced into 1/3 inch thin slices
- lots of chopped tomates, ripe
- red pepper, or yellow
- garlic, minced
- Onion slices, thin
- herbs (thyme, basil, some salt and pepper)
- Asiago or Pamersan cheese, shredded
- olive oil

In saute pan, olive oil and garlic until garlic translucent, then add onion slices and cook through. Add in peppers and then tomatoes (pretty much the same base as for my Bruschetta) and herbs. Once flavors have melded - about 5 minutes, set aside in bowl.

In saute pan, heat up oliver oil (liberal amounts) and add in Zucchine slices til slightly browned/cooked through. (I had to cook up a few batches) - and then layer the zuchhini slices in a baking dish

Pour your tomatoe mixture over the top of the slices, and then layer with shredded cheese - and bake at around 375 for half hour or until bubbly.


CREOLE SHRIMP
- 40 frozen shrimp (thaw by soaking in cold water, peel - but leave the tails on, and de-vein)
- olive oil
- tbsp butter
- garlic, 3 cloves minced
- onion, thinly sliced
- yellow pepper, chopped
- herbs (red papper flakes, thyme, cilantro)
- worcesthire sauce
- if desired, french bread sliced

In saute pan, liberal amount of olive oil with pad of butter - and when heated up, add in minced garlic, cook through til translucent, then add onions til cooked through. Add peppers til cooked through - and simultaneously, add herbs - - dashes of red pepper flakes, thyme and cilantro.

Now, add in shrimp and a few dashes of worcesthire sauce - and cook for a few minutes til shrimp are pink.

You may serve as is - but what I found great is slicing some of our leftover French baguettes, and layering that bread on a plate or in a big serving bowl and then pour the shrimp mixture over the bread. The bread will absorb all of the olive oil and flavors and makes for a fantastic happy ending to the shrimp!

Baie de Pompiere - our walking adventure on 12/23/09

Posted by Liz

Took a short walk yesterday afternoon across the island from south to north - about 20 minutes or so each way - and ended up in a beautiful place called Baie de Pompiere, where we were greeted by tons of tall palm trees and a long stretch of soft sand beach. There were rocks and boulders surrounding encircling the bay, with ocean waves crashing over and a spit of a sand bar that you could walk/swim across.

Along the way, we saw cows and iguanas.

Joyeux Noel

Posted by Liz

It's Christmas Eve - but it doesn't feel like it all! Except, there is a certain energy and festive spirit in the air - with music playing in town. It was hot and humid and sunny all day - the shops were open (except for their 3 hour lunch/siesta time - - seems like they close up from Noon til 3 and then open again for a couple of hours - I like their style - would this work in the states??!)

First thing we did today was dinghy into town at 7:45 to our favorite spot: Ti Saintoise - the boulangerie! We picked up some chocolate croissants, apple pastries and egg souffles - and made a little delivery to Fay and Russ on New Morning to return the favor of their croissants the other morning.

I cleaned the cockpit and did some general tidying up while Ed changed the water filters on the water maker. I spent some time reading through some cookbooks - which gave me an inspiration - which I'm calling

LES SAINTES BRUSCHETTA

In saute pan with plenty of good olive oil... sautee 3 cloves of fresh garlic (minced)til translucent, then add thinly sliced onions til cooked through, then added 1/2 of a red pepper (finely chopped), seasoned with coarse/kosher or sea salt, thyme and basil...then, add some chopped tomato (I used half of a big one), a few teaspoons of Capers, and finally, a couple of small dollops of balsamic vinegariette.... and saute for a few minutes.

In the meantime, I sliced up some leftover baguette into thin slices, and placed a small piece of grueyre type of cheese on each slice - then, just poured the mixture over the top of the breads - and VOILA! YUM, YUM, YUM - - I even decided to splurge and enjoy a delicious glass of Pinot Grigio wine with lunch - something I would never do at home. For that matter, I would never have even thought to whip someting like this up for lunch at home!

Necessity is the mother of invention - and using the ingredients in our cupboards.

After our feast, we took naps! Just so French! We're acclimating very well! And then went into town around 3 when the shops opened again.

Our little cat, Chipper, has a small eye problem - his right eye is at half-mast and it was teary - so we stopped at the pharmacie - he told me that the Vet only comes over once a month and next stop isn't until January 13th. However, he had some eye drops and antibiotics specifically for Cat conjunctivitis! We also stopped at a couple of other markets to pick up some vegetables and other basics, and I tried to find some wine - but I don't know French wines at all, so I randomly picked a couple bottles off the shelf and we shall see!

We are in a beautiful anchorage with our new Australian friends, Leisha and Greg on their boat "Fine Gold" along with other cruising friends. Small, very interesting and well-travelled community of people and it's such a wonderful lifestyle - getting back to the basics and being 100% full time in and a part of nature/the environment just sets the body in the natural rhythms - - and you feel that life has balance.

So, Merry Christmas to all of our pals and family back home! May the blessings of the season and good health be yours now and throughout the New Year.

Typical day

Posted by Liz

Yesterday morning we were greeted by one of our lovely neighbors on New Morning, who stopped by with piping hot fresh chocolate croissants because she heard us remark the night before how we were craving them. Wow - they were delicious! (Thank you, Fay!)

I spent the morning finishing a fantastic book (Cutting for Stone) and weeping in the cockpit, while Ed caught up on some email. We had a light lunch on board and then got our blood pumping with what I thought would be an "easy" walk - but we did a bunch of hill climbing up and down - around Pain de Sucre (Sugarloaf), with some great views of the anchorage, and then down to a pretty hotel area called Hotel Bois Joli, and back. Along the way, we met a ton of goats, many with new babies ("kids") - all very friendly and curious. We saw some ducks, and some very cool Iguanas lurking around!

Returned from the walk a couple of hours later, and took naps/relaxed and had an easy dinner of some leftovers on board - kind of a Creole dinner - beans/rice with Butternut Squash soup that I doctored up with red pepper, curry and cumin. Breezy night and actually, it got kind of "cool" - - I had to go down below to "warm up" - - can you believe it - it was 80 degrees outside and I was a bit chilled??! Guess we're adapting to the weather!

Here are some photos from our walk and the critters we met....if you look closely, you'll see our red boat in one of the photos!

Everyday Caribbean Cruisers

Posted by Ed

It was a spectacular site earlier in December when all the Grand Ladies of yachting were on display in Antigua for the Charter Boat Show. I have never seen so many mega-yachts, both power and sail on display in one location (English and Falmouth harbor). Just when you think you have seen the biggest and the best, along comes another mega-yacht dwarfing the others and keeping things in perspective. As aptly stated by an Australian I met in Antigua who is sailing with his fiancé from the U.K. to Australia, “when you look out your porthole, we see the same beautiful view as they see from a mega-yacht”.

The mega-yachts have dispersed to various locations of the Caribbean and we are sailing our very humble vintage Swan 44 down island and currently anchored at Isle des Saintes for the Christmas/New Year’s holiday. It’s refreshing to meet families sailing for the winter season aboard what we consider as “regular” cruising boats. An Australian couple mentioned earlier are sailing their Vancouver 27 "FineGold" (http://www.sailingfinegold.webs.com/) from the U.K. to their homeland of Australia. They just completed a successful transatlantic crossing from the Cape Verde Islands to Antigua, some 2000 miles in 18 days. Another couple from Wisconsin has lived aboard their Island Packet 27 for the past four years and enjoying sailing throughout the Caribbean islands.

Two couples from France who are long time friends, each sailing their own Beneteau 473’s are in the process of a circumnavigation. One left France and is sailing in the Caribbean and will sail on to the Pacific next season. The other couple started their circumnavigation in the Indian Ocean and will also sail in the Pacific next season. Another couple from the states sailing a beautiful Lyman Morse Custom 54 "New Morning" (www.newmorning.info)will also sail in the South Pacific next season. And there are a few single-handers navigating the Caribbean. A movie maker from France who has sailed his Beneteau 435 to and from France a half dozen times is sailing throughout the Caribbean.

There is no shortage of like-minded sailors who are out doing what they love most…cruising. Cruising where the air is always warm, the wind is always sufficient to sail, the water is always beautiful and the cruising exhilarating.

One of the best things about sailing in this environment is the warm camaraderie from other cruisers, always ready to share. They’re very friendly and willing to share their wine, their dinner, their knowledge and experiences.

Deshaies to Les Saintes - Friday December 18

Posted by Liz

A motor sail job the whole way - and turned out later in the day to be a rough passage. As we moved south along the west coast of Guadeloupe, the winds were on our nose and really starting blowing - - about 20 or so - so the boat was just beating into that and it was not fun. Lots of spray. Squalls came rolling in (but the rain actually felt kind of good on my salt-encrusted body!). As we rounded Guadeloupe on the Southwest coast and started heading a bit SE for Les Saintes, we were really beating and we were finally so glad to just make it there - but only to find the anchorage area already pretty full up - - and a bit challenging to find the right depth of water for us to drop the anchor in. But, we landed in a good spot - - sometimes a bit rolly as the ferries come in and out, but not too bad.

Isles des Saintes is idyllic and gorgeous. My battery is about to die right now - so we'll write more about this place again soon, and we'll upload some photos to share!

Here are some photos from our sail, Deshaies to Isles des Saintes.

Video - sailing from Antigua to Deshaies, Guadeloupe

Departed Antigua at 6:45 am on Thursday, December 17th. Lighter winds predicted which we wanted -because it had been blowing the few days before. I personally hadn't sailed since July, and have to say that I needed time to get my "sea legs". We were sailing on a beam reach - which normally would be nice - but for the first couple of hours, the wind was gustier than we thought it would be, making the sea swells kind of big (maybe about 7 feet) and pretty rolly for my liking - and I felt the "mal de mer" coming on... so, I popped my trusty Stugeron - - and it subsided - but the only side affect to that seasickness med is that it makes me wicked drowsy.

The winds subsided a bit and the seas flattened out - and we had a DELIGHTFUL sail for the next five hours - reached Deshaies, Guadeloupe - set the anchor, just relaxed for the late afternoon, cooked dinner on board. It was pitch black outside in this very quiet little anchorage - Deshaies is a very tiny fishing village - and the stars were abundant and magical. We were probably in bed and asleep by 8:30! Had to get up early again the next morning to set sail for Les Saintes - islands off the south coast of Guadelooupe.

December 16 - last day in Antigua - thoughts from Liz

Posted by Liz

It has cooled down a bit (thank God) - like 80 today but lower humidity - so that helps me out. I don't like all the humidity - Ed loves it!

We woke up around 6:30/7 today, had some cereal/coffee and then had our "chores" to do:
- take garbage up to the garbage truck by 9am (he's there between 7 and 9)
- take our diesel jerry jugs (2 five gallon jugs) to refill at the gas station - then take them back and put that diesel into our main fuel tanks to top everything off
- fill up the little gas tank for the dinghy
- "stick" the fuel tanks on board, to check fuel levels
- check oil and Racor fuel filter
- ran the engine for one hour, charging our batteries, running the refrigerator to cool it down and running the watermaker to make a few more gallons

Then, a walk over to English Harbor (a short 10 min walk) where we have to check out at the Customs/Immigration facility - because we're planning on taking off tomorrow morning around 7am to sail down to Deshaies, Guadeloupe (south of here by 42 miles - about a 7 hr sail).

We're just planning on staying there one night and then heading to some beautiful islands called Isles des Saintes (Les Saintes) - part of Guadeloupe - south of Guadeloupe. French, great food, quaint - some good snorkeling which I'm looking forward to (haven't really been swimming here because we're in a big harbor with too much boat activity - dinghies and big tenders to these huge ships just go whizzing by - pretty scary actually if you were in the water). We'll probably just hang there for a couple of weeks through New Years and then head to Dominica - which is known for it's hiking, waterfalls, thermal springs, rainforests.... I'm totally psyched to get there and explore inland - probably not up for some of the more serious hikes - but it should be beautiful. It's been likened to the Garden of Eden. From everything we've read, it's a lot safer and people we know (like Mike & Debbi Young) have had great experiences there.

Ed and I did meet a lovely young couple (mid-20's) from Australia (Perth). They were living in Manchester England for the past couple of years working (he in banking, she's a schoolteacher) and they bought a small 27 foot boat. He got laid off, so they decided to go sailing! (Seems like a mantra for a lot of us during this recession) They sailed across the Atlantic in that little boat and did fine - and now are planning on heading south to Grenada, then through the Panama canal by March - and across the Pacific, ending up in Sydney Australia - where they have a condo that they have been renting out, and will plan on living there and trying to find work again.

It's pretty amazing to see people out there "doing it" on a small boat - but what we agreed upon - is that no matter what size boat we're all on - we all get the same view out of of our portholes. And as my yoga practice has taught me - don't compare - just be in your moment!

There don't seem to be a lot of "cruisers" here in Antigua - just more of the big mega yachts, which are filled with younger "kids" (20's) who are the full time crew members - always cleaning, polishing and the "stewardesses" who organize everything for the owners. Quite a lifestyle - hard work, but probably pretty cool if you're young - and you get to see some amazing places and live aboard these gorgeous yachts! Hopefully as we get to other places, we'll meet more "regular" type of people like the kids from Australia.

Ed and I are getting along really well - as with any friend, we just have to be mindful of when we need some space and not take each other for granted and just remember to be polite and courteous and gentle with each other. I think sometimes if you're in close quarters, it can get "snappy" unless you really make a conscience effort to watch that.

So, that's about it for now. I'm hoping to take some video of our sailing trip tomorrow and post some new pics on the blog once we get to the Saintes.

The Definition of Cruising

Posted by Liz

The definition of cruising hasn't changed... it's STILL "repairing your boat in exotic places". As we make preparations to depart Antigua and head down island (to Guadeloupe, next stop), we discovered the hydraulic backstay has a leak in one of the seals. So of course, it takes a half day to scope out a rigger who can make the repairs, and figure out how/when we can get this done.

Since tomorrow (December 9th) is a holiday (Hero's Day - and coincidentally, Ed's birthday - and he's MY hero!) and businesses are closed, we'll take the backstay apart early on Thursday morning and get it to the rigger - and should have it back by Friday sometime. We'll head out of Falmouth Harbor on Saturday morning, and should arrive in Deshaies, Guadeloupe about 7 hours later - a 42 mile close reach sail. Then, on to Iles des Saintes.

More to follow.... hopefully not in the repair department!

Over Achievers’ Attempt to Under Achieve

Posted by Ed

If you’ve spent most of your productive life in an over achieving mode, is it possible to get on a sailboat in the Caribbean where the air is warm, the wind brisk and the sea and sky meet in a breath taking scene, that seems endless and kick-back and under achieve for awhile?

Start your day with the morning’s sunrise on the eastern horizon, a gentle early morning Caribbean breeze and a cup of tea in the cockpit. You sit by yourself and enjoy this special time as you and the day awaken. Later, eggs, toast and coffee on deck really kicks off the day’s planning. Perhaps today we’ll check the windlass to make sure it’s working as it should or run the watermaker for an hour to supply plenty of fresh water for a shower later in the day or just prioritizing the many ongoing projects that need doing.

Most projects are started after breakfast and completed sometime between noon and 1300 hours and a dinghy ride to town for an ice cream or a cool Mango daiquiri are usually a part of the agenda. This is also a good time to try, (emphasize try) to connect to the local WiFi and check emails and/or return phone calls via SKYPE.

After the Caribbean sun has set, usually around 1730, the next major decision of the day is planning a moonlit dinner in the cockpit. Is it salmon on the barbie or some other local delicacy? Actually, most dinners are in the cockpit with natural ambiance provided by nature and the moon or a very low intensity LED light for added ambiance when the moon is in hiding.

Can an over achiever actually under achieve, be productive and still have fun…Actually, you don’t need to over-achieve when on a sailboat in the Caribbean, just sit back, take a look around and enjoy the beautiful environment that surrounds you… Keep on sailing.

Pot O' Gold

Many short rain squalls came through Falmouth and English harbor today with several uncharacteristic wind shifts to due North and the wind totally disappeared. This afternoon’s rain produced a full rainbow from one end of Falmouth Harbor to the other.

At the end of the rainbow was truly a pot of gold. The pot of gold, however, was the numerous mega yachts all lined up at the dock for the boat show, for the yacht charter trade.

I have never seen so many mega-yachts, both power and sail in one location before. These yachts are huge - some like 160 feet plus - - all sizes and shapes. They have been parading into English and Falmouth Harbor all week for the start of the boat show which runs from December 6th to December 11th.

A mega yacht may be chartered for a week for a mere $50,000 plus, plus. More to follow.

Where do the days go?!

I made it down on Saturday - arriving at 4:30pm, going through customs with cat, getting him inspected by the Vet - per usual - all on "island time" - long lines, no rushing.... but when I got through customs and headed outside, there was Ed, waiting and smiling - and had a taxi all organized to take us south to Falmouth Harbor - about a 30 minute taxi ride.

It's HOT and Sunny but really breezy which is great - keeping the boat and us cooled off.

We have to run the engine 2-3x a day to charge up batteries which are powering the refridge and the water maker. GOD BLESS both of those things - - and I'm loving the water maker, because I get my daily shower - and after a long hot, steamy, sweaty day - it's a total luxury. Something we all take for granted back at home! And showers here are not long....although last night I overdid it a bit and we had to run the watermaker longer this morning to make up for it!

Start off each day with some breakfast and coffee/tea on deck - looking out our "backyard" to the beautiful harbor, with gorgeous boats around us and blue water, blue sky, white puffy clouds, palm trees and slightly mountainous terrain in the backyard. (This week, all of the mega-yachts and some mini-cruise ships - are arriving for the big Charter Boat show starting this Sunday. This is eye candy for Ed, who could just sit in the cockpit all day long and look at these beauties sailing in!)

During or after breakfast, we'll run the engine for an hour or so and do some "chores". Today I cleaned down below - picked up all the rugs and aired them out, Murphy's wood oil soap and cleaned the teak floors and all of the wood down below. The first day I spent the whole morning til 12:30 figuring out what provisions we had remaining from the delivery and what we needed from the store. I can't even remember what I did yesterday morning! This is scary!!!

After morning chores, we'll go ashore for a walk. lunch, tea, or like today - we're at a wireless cafe "Seabreeze" for a couple of hours, doing email, talking on SKYPE, updating the blog.

I'd lke to get in a better exercise routine - but I kind of get a stairmaster routine in by going up and down the companionway stairs all day - back and forth - and there is always some cleaning/organizing to keep you occumpied. I did get a DELIGHTFUL 90 minute nap in yesterday afternoon - down below on the settee in the main salon with the breezes blowing through the boat and the fans blowing softly. Such decadence! At home, I'd be working, working, working and even I was at home and exhausted, I'd never take a nap - would feel "too guilty". LOVE NAPS!!!!!

I'm trying to cook what we have for food on board - - again, this calls for some creativity! Last night it was Mac n Cheese with a can of stewed tomatoes. The other night it was Lentils/Red Beans in Creamy Tomato sauce. It's also challenging because my Ed is a vegetarian. I'm going to try to find some fresh chicken or meat and wrap it and freeze it individually - so at least I could take something out of the freezer and cook it up on the grill later on that night for dinner. Also, you'd think this would be easy here - but it's not - - FINDING fresh fish. I will never take Whole Foods fish market, or even the fish section of Shaws (!) for granted again!

Well, it's about 1:30 and almost time for my afternoon siesta! We have to get gas for the dinghy and then we're also going to dinghy across the harbor this afternoon to the Catamaran club and check out that side of Falmouth Harbor. I know this seems ridiculous, but I'm not even sure we can get all of this done this afternoon - unless I give up my nap.... (Oh, no!)

We need to take some photos!! As soon as we do and upload them, we'll post them.

Cheers for now,
Liz

Video - Bermuda to Antigua

86 and Sunny in Antigua

Gypsea enjoyed great sailing all day Monday, through the night and into Tuesday morning sailing along at 7.5 knots and arriving abeam of Antigua too soon. We were actually abeam of Antigua around 2200 hours Monday night but chose to sail about 20 miles beyond Antigua to kill some time and tacked back towards Antigua at 0400 to arrive at the entrance of Falmouth Harbor in the morning light.

The passage was a mix of some heavier weather but nothing real severe. The heaviest weather was the approach to Bermuda with 30 knots on the nose and a good sea running. We experienced more than out share of light air which created fuel concerns but with a good beam reach the last day and a half, we had fuel to spare.

The passage was a good one, with excellent sailing mates aboard and Jim Fox was a great cook and kept the entire crew well fed and nourished. He even prepared an exquisite turkey dinner with all the fixings (Swanson's) in the event crew members were not able to get home for Thanksgiving.

The weather in Antigua is a comfortable 86 degrees and I'm waiting for the Admiral(Liz!) to arrive soon.

Gypsea is almost there

The wind Gods were listening and the breeze filled in nicely Sunday evening from the East. We enjoyed a nice reach through the night with speeds in the upper sevens and occasional eights. It was such a relief to sail again and turn the engine off for awhile. This period of sailing now gives us plenty of reserve fuel for our approach to Antigua.

During the night the babystay had parted at it's swedge connection at the mast. The babystay is used to tension the leading edge of the mast about halfway up the mast and will be replaced by a rigger when we get to Antigua.

We are currently about 90 miles from Antigua and would arrive around 11:00 PM tonight but we chose to slow the boat down so we may have a daylight arrival at Falmouth Harbor Tuesday morning. In order to slow the boat sufficiently, we furled the jib and are sailing under just a reefed main and we're still going too fast.

On the Home Stretch

We are in the home stretch now, with 230 miles to go to reach Antigua. The wind is still very light, about 5 to 8 knots true wind and we continue to motor sail trying to optimize the fuel to get the best speed and most distance from the remaining 30 gallons of fuel. We anticipate arrival in Falmouth Harbor late Monday evening or sometime Tuesday morning.

Saturday, 11/21/09
Since there is little to no wind, we are working on the fine balance of stretching the last 45 gallons of fuel to reach Antigua. Present location is 22 degrees 25N 62 degrees 31W. We anticipate reaching Falmouth Harbor Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

GLORIOUS SAILING!

Last evening's sail was as Foxie put it, "A Real 10". Despite the light wind we have been experiencing, Gypsea was sailing to windward all night in the seven knot range in perfectly flat seas and her course was expertly controlled through the wind shifts by "Hans-Solo" (the Monitor windvane). During the midnight to 2:00 AM watch the sky couldn't be more brilliant with clusters of stars everywhere. If you wish to see a shooting star, lay back and wait a few minutes and you'll see several shooting stars. Offshore sailing can be truly spectacular!

Today we are motoring to make-up some easting we had given up to circumvent a low pressure system earlier in the week. Our position is 23 50N 63 31W. We're expecting the trade winds to kick in somewhere around 21N or about 150 miles from the present location. The trade winds should be 20-25 knots from the NNE and should carry us on a nice reach the rest of the way to Antigua. Anticipated arrival time is hopefully on Monday.

550 Miles to Antigua

As of 10:41 AM Atlantic time on Thursday - from Ed:

Motoring along since 9:00 PM last night, virtually no wind and trying to economize on the fuel by keeping the RPM's down a bit. It's about 550 miles from our present location to Antigua and if we are able to sail and/or motor sail at a reasonable speed, we should be in Antigua Monday evening.

Two Heads are Better than One!

From Liz: All I can say, is that I'm glad we have two heads on the boat. No other details on that right now - saving it for offline!

Ed's report as of Weds, 11:45AM EST: We have been sailing SW on Herb's advice to skirt around the low pressure trough that would have delivered gale force conditions, so far so good, just far and apart from the rhumb line.

Life on board is going well, we are on a schedule of standing single watches of two hours on and six hours off. This schedule seems to work pretty well. Our current position is 28 17 N 64 33 W and we should (hopefully) be clear of the low and will now sail more direct for Antigua.

Video (click here) - Ocean Passage Newport - Bermuda

Waiting for Wind in Bermuda

Can you believe it? Not ENOUGH wind? November in the North Atlantic? Crazy stuff. And Commanders doesn't expect much wind at all for the passage down to Antigua. No wind means lots of motoring. Which means lots of fuel. (would need about 200 gallons to do the 1000 mile leg to Antigua, and like most boats our size, the max we're carrying, with jerry jugs too, is about 100 gallons)

So, they're waiting for the wind. Hanging out and going a little batty, chomping on the bit to get moving. Last I heard, I think they'll reprovision tomorrow (Monday) and take off at first light on Tuesday 11/17. Factoring in 6-7 days, should make landfall in Antigua by Tuesday, 11/24, just in time to get some of the crew members home in time for Thanksgiving! (but doesn't leave any time for them to play in Antigua)

Stay tuned!

More photos en route to Bermuda

Photos en route to Bermuda

SKYPE is the Best!

Ed and I "Skyped" today - - using the webcams on both of our computers

We spoke for One Hour and it didn't cost us a CENT!! Everyone needs to get a Skype account. You create a User Name and Password, give them a credit card number and set aside a small bank account - like $10 - to use if you're calling a non-skype friend (then it's a whopping 2 cents a minute!)

Great to use for long distance, friends/family in foreign countries. SKYPE is "voice over IP" (internet protocol) Basically, you're talking computer to computer. Or you can CALL US on our SKYPE PHONE NUMBERS (it's a local/US call even when we're far away):

Ed (508)500-0229 SKYPE name: gypsea
Liz (508)444-0684 SKYPE name: LizStott1010

Anyway - Gypsea is hanging out in Bermuda for a couple of days waiting, yet again, for the right weather window! I think they are getting remnants of Hurricane Ida. For the time being, the guys are catching up on emails, phone calls, laundry, provisions, refueling, SHOWERS and SLEEPING.

In Bermuda

Arrived in Bermuda this afternoon, around 1pm EST I think. After a big time motor job with light winds over the past few days, the breeze filled in yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon and got heavy and on the nose through the night and even heavier today with good size seas. Not very pleasant on the stomach, even for the seasoned veterans.

The casualties of the first leg: the bimini tearing apart and the bimini frame pulling out of the fiberglass (all this despite brand new fixes and frame to the system this Fall!). Ed is going to speak with the local sailmaker tomorrow to see about getting the bimini repaired.

Sounds like they might be getting some remnants of Hurricane IDA and may have to lay low for a couple of days in Bermuda before departing for Antigua.

Latitude:33.99308 Longitude:-65.76843 GPS location Date/Time:11/10/2009 12:10:42 EST

Closer to Bermuda

From Ed: The temperature today is 80 degrees and we're really enjoying the climate, however, there is and has been a real lack of wind on this trip. Still motoring and we are about 217 miles or less than 48 hours from Bermuda. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

We've spoken with Herb (the weather guru from Canada who volunteers his time to provide weather guidance to sailboats during Atlantic/Caribbean passages) today and the Single Side Band is working great. Herb has been loud and clear and he has received our signal well too. Herb indicates that a low in the Caribbean may merge with the remains of Hurricane Ida and present a complex low in the Bermuda area, so were keeping the boat moving to arrive in Bermuda prior to the low passing through.

The Shepherd's Pie was well received last night and we just about polished it off.

We are currently located at 35 27N, 67 08W and motoring at 6 knots on a direct course of 160 degrees to Bermuda.

Through the stream and into warmer waters

From Ed: Still motor sailing with the only exception being a nice sail from 10:00 PM last night until about 4:00 AM this morning and back to motoring again. We are in the stream as of about 5:00 AM today and should be out of the stream around 4:30 PM this afternoon. As many times as we have traversed the stream, its still incredible to stick your hand in a bucket of water (washing the decks) to be amazed at the water temperature (86 degrees).

Earlier this morning there was a large school of Portuguese Man of War floating on by. They look like tiny toy sailboats.

Apparently we had a leak in a water pipe when the pressure water was on and it emptied our starboard water tank but there was not any water in the bilge. I think a faucet had been open prior to the pressure water being turned on and the tank emptied. The watermaker is now on and working overtime to replenish the starboard water tank.

The weather today is a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 72 degrees. The cold weather only seemed to last for about 36 hours before we noticed it was becoming milder and we are now thinking about shorts and tee shirts very soon. Our position today at noon is 37 39'N 69 04'W and we will probably need to call on Bermuda as a fuel stop.

Update 2pm EST - Sat 11/7/09

From Ed: Our departure from Newport went well yesterday (Friday) just before 2:00 PM local time. The breeze was a robust Northwester delivering very satisfying boat speeds in the 8.5 knot range for the better part of the afternoon and evening. Later the breeze was getting softer and we turned on the engine at 1:30 AM giving up a lot of that hard earned boat speed.

Dinner turned out to be a catch-as-catch-can since everyone was tired and trying to get into the groove for the next 10 days. Meals are now on a more normal basis, whatever that means. Who said real sailors don't eat quiche, it was a great breakfast.

We saw only one boat last night apparently headed in a similar direction as Gypsea. Motoring in this huge high pressure system is eating into our fuel supply but we'll stop for fuel in Bermuda if we have to.

The water has turned to "offshore blue" and the temperature today is fairly warm. The cabin heater works great, it was 79 degrees in the cabin when I woke up this morning for my watch.
Ran the watermaker for an hour and a half today and made 10 gallons of potable water. We'll need to run it for several hours each day to keep up with the normal consumption.

As of noon time today, we have logged approximately 140 miles in the last 22 hours and we are 88 miles from entering the Gulf Stream. Based on our current speed of 6.2 knots we should enter the stream around 5:00 AM Sunday. We are using 38 10'N, 69 45'W as our entry into the stream and should exit the stream at approximately 37 20'N, 68 55'W.

Gypsea has left Newport - headed toward Bermuda

Finally got the weather window that Ed felt most comfortable with and they slipped the lines in Newport a little before 2pm today (Friday, Nov. 6). Today was a bit gusty, a nice crisp NW wind, clear skies, sunny - but expect some lighter winds to follow now. Ideally, would love to sail non-stop to Antigua, but expect to be doing some motor sailing and will need to make a quick stop in Bermuda to refuel....

The guys are excited to FINALLY for real, be on their way and do what they came here to do - GO SAILING! Say your prayers for safe, swift and comfortable passage. God Speed.

Beverly to Mattapoisett and South Coast (MA) sunset, 11/1/09

The Crew of Gypsea

Here they are, all gung ho and ready to go last week on Sunday morning (11/1/09) in Beverly. Well, they made it to Newport and hung there for a few days!

From Left to Right: Shaun Deinstadt, Ed Stott, Jim Fox, George Smith, Jim Bunton

Still Waiting in Newport...

They are sitting in Newport, maybe til Saturday. And I'm sure they are all bored silly. None of these guys are "sit around" types.

They were planning on leaving today which would put them crossing the gulf stream by Thursday - perfect timing I guess, for the stream. But now Ed says that he (and his weather routers that he uses) see a Low pressure system forming off the coast, blowing 40 and gusting up to whatever (a lot).

The crew has suggested that they move the boat to NYC "for something to do" - but that doesn't necessarily make sense, because you have to go way in and then back out - and it eats fuel big time ($$$) and time.

It was also suggested to go to Cape May, NJ - which would bring them further south, into warmer weather and closer to the stream - but when they looked at charts, it's too shallow there for the boat (draft of boat = 9 ft) to get into harbors there....

So, I guess they are in the preparing to prepare mode - - tensions can get high during these times, especially in the close quarters (!), so let's say our prayers that things open up SOON and these guys can get moving on.

Cheers,Liz

Waiting in Newport

The crew is waiting to hear from Commanders Weather about how the gulf stream is looking and what sort of low pressures are cooking out there in the Atlantic. I just took a look at 48 hour surface charts and some satellite imagery - and it all looks pretty decent by my eyes, but then, I'm not the one out there doing it! There is a Low Pressure system about 400 miles east of Bermuda - - however, it's expected to move N/NE and dissipate over the cold waters, so I'm hoping that is not going to be an issue for them.

I have a feeling that they will leave Newport tomorrow (Tuesday, 11/3) but will be waiting to get the update from Ed.

http://wwwghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/goeseastconusir.html

Gypsea has headed Southbound!

From Liz - I want to THANK ALL OF YOU for your support, thoughts, and prayers. It just so happens that today is All Saints Day (I'm a bit of a lapsed Catholic!) - and all of the crew are saints for helping out. I also hope all of the angels and saints are looking over our guys and guiding them safely and swiftly on their journey.

Ed has skippered many boats to/from the Caribbean over the years, and I've watched him prepare for all the deliveries over the past 11 years. For those of you who don't know Ed's "M.O.", I want to assure you that he is an exceptionally prudent and capable skipper and sailor.

He is mechanical and can fix most anything. He is a superb team leader and manager -a skill that is most important when keeping a crew of five, sometimes strangers, glued together, feeling supported, and in the end, hopefully walking away with their sailing skills enhanced, more confidence, and a tighter bond to each other.

Even though Gypsea is a "vintage" Swan (1979), she is very well-founded, with safety and maintenance updates done on a consistent basis. New rudder, new hoses throughout, major engine PM (preventative maintenance), heater installed that runs on engine power (nice for the cold nights and days during the first leg of the trip!), new water maker that makes 6 gallons an hour when the engine is running - may not seem like a lot - but it's really an amazing addition to the current water storage - and will actually allow the crew to indulge here and there in a hot shower!

New Single Side Band with Pactor modem (email capability) - - it does not allow attachments, but will allow Ed and crew to keep us updated when they are out to sea. It's operating on very small/slow bandwith - and the system stops after 90 minutes of weekly transmission.

New VHF radio, new liferaft, new dinghy.

Monitor Wind Vane which allows the crew to relax a bit more while on watch, and let "Hans Solo" or "Hans Free" as we call it, do all the steering, and very accurately, when they are under sail. The boat also has an auto pilot which allows steerage while under power.

Ed is super knowledgeable about weather/meteorology - and this is perhaps the biggest piece of this whole thing. As he says, when you're out there and you encounter bad weather - you deal with it - but you never KNOWINGLY go out in it.

This is the predicament now...the biggest concern is always the Gulf Stream - any bit of bad weather gets exacerbated a zillion percent there - so the goal is hit it when it's favorable - least amount of unfavorable wind direction, skinniest part of it so you get through it quickly, hit it without opposing wind/current conditions....it's all very tricky and requires careful analysis and real good timing.

From what we heard this morning from Commanders Weather (Gypsea's weather routing service), there are a bunch of Low's (low pressure systems) lurking around the Atlantic - and the Stream will be a cauldron on Tuesday/Weds of this week. However, it should become more favorable late Weds/into Thursday. It takes two days to get from Newport to the Stream - so they are planning on sailing to Newport today - getting into the Cape Cod Canal around slack current (8:40pm tonight, Sunday) and getting to Newport by 2am Monday.

Crew member George Smith, bless his heart, knows everyone and has his great connections - and was able to arrange a 70 ft (!) dockside slip in Newport - where they will hang all day Monday/Monday night, and then plan to head south into open sea on Tuesday.

They are not sure if they will be calling on Bermuda or going straight through to Antigua. If they need any repairs or fuel - they probably will do a quick 1 day stop (provided they don't have any bad weather that holds them there....)

I've provisioned them pretty well I think - food is something you really look forward to during a delivery - although it's never fun to be the one in the galley prepping it while underway - so I tried to keep some of the main meals as easy as possible.

It's extremely difficult to think about 5 men, 12 days, 3 meals a day (180 total meals!) plus snacks, treats, etc. I made about 8 frozen meals for dinners - nothing gourmet but it will stick to their ribs (Shepherd's Pie, Vegetarian pot pies, Lasagnas, Chicken enchiladas, etc), and then there is some frozen shrimp, pastas, rice/beans, soups galore. Eggs, oatmeal, cereal, cheeses, turkey/ham, english muffins, bagels, pita pockets, tuna, chicken, crabmeat, cookies (a bunch of homemade choc chips, oatmeal raisin and magic cookie bars), M&M's, leftover Halloween candy, chips, crackers, zone bars, and then healthy stuff too - apples, oranges, canteloupes, lemons, onions, peppers, tomatos, spinach/salad stuff for a few days, canned veggies/fruits....

Please rest assured that the guys are as safe as possible and in good hands with a very capable boat and skipper. Please PRAY for the most favorable weather, for guidance from above, for a safe and swift passage.

You may track Gypsea's actual location by checking our Blog - http://svgypsea.blogspot.com/ and click on "Where's Gypsea Now" (top right corner)-which will give you the Lat/Long.

Cheers to our Gypsea and our Crew: Jim Bunton, Jim Fox, Shaun Deinstadt and George Smith and Captain Ed!

Chipper the Sailing Cat

Swedish Sailing Poem

A small boy heard the ocean roar,
There are secrets on my distant shore,
But beware my child, the ships bell’s wail,
Wait not too long to start to sail.

So quickly come and go the years,
And a young adult stands abeach with fears,
Come on, Come on the ocean cussed,
Time passes on. Oh sail you must.

Now its business in mid-aged prime,
And maybe tomorrow there will be time,
Now is too soon, it’s raining today,
Gone all gone - years are eaten away.

An old man looks, still feeling the lure,
Yet he’ll suffer the pain, than go for the cure,
The hair is white, the steps with care,
The tide has turned, he is aware.

So all too soon the secrets are buried,
Along with him and all regrets he carried,
And it’s not for the loss of secrets he cried,
But rather because he’d never tried.

Swedish Ocean Racing Club, Poet Unknown